Policeman sacked for sharing drivers' private records

Nino Bucci -Dec 10, 2012

A highway patrol police officer from Bendigo has been dismissed for sharing private VicRoads information accessed from the station's database, as an investigation continues into an alleged drink-driving incident involving members from the same station.

The leading senior constable faced a disciplinary hearing last month and was found guilty of improper conduct.

A source said the officer had been in the force for about 25 years and had ignored warnings about sharing private information from the LEAP database.

"Every time you log on to it you see warnings about sharing the information," the man said. "It's in your face all the time. But he's decided to do his own thing."

It is believed the officer may appeal his dismissal.

A police spokeswoman said the officer faced a hearing on November 28.

"The officer was found guilty of improper conduct in that he inappropriately accessed and disclosed VicRoads information from LEAP and was subsequently dismissed from Victoria Police," she said.

The incident is not related to another matter under investigation regarding the Bendigo station.

Police have been told that in November last year an off-duty officer left a local hotel in an emotional state, and crashed the car he was driving before fleeing the scene.

The Office of Police Integrity and Victoria Police's ethical standards department are investigating the incident and the police response.

It was reported in September that one officer had been suspended for alleged drink-driving and leaving the scene of an accident, and several others are being investigated for allegedly breaching proper protocols in the hours afterwards.

A police spokeswoman said the investigation into that incident was ongoing.

Police Association secretary Greg Davies said the officer would have been aware he was doing the wrong thing.

"Nobody has the excuse that they thought it was ok, because there's a warning there and it's very clear," he said.